A HEALTH union has described the decision to ban nurses from taking a day’s leave to join national demonstrations against the Government’s pension proposals as draconian and provocative.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) is not taking industrial action on November 30, unlike many other health trade unions, but nurses and health care assistants from the RCN will be protesting in their own time.

However, according to the RCN, some hospital trusts across the region are banning all annual leave on that day and putting in place security measures to prevent nurses from protesting near NHS buildings.

Glenn Turp, RCN Northern region director, said; “It is completely unacceptable to try to use RCN members to provide blanket cover for other members of staff. Potentially you will have the bizarre scenario whereby wards that are understaffed for the rest of the year will in fact be over-staffed on this one day, because of the blanket ban on all leave.”

Mr Turp said the RCN supports the TUC Day of Action on November 30 and members “have a democratic right to join other public sector workers to express their dismay at the Govenrment’s swingeing cuts to their pensions”.

To ban all leave is “a draconion, unnecessary and provocative step by employers,” he added.

Mr Turp said RCN nurses “would never take part in any actions that would compromise the quality of patient care”.

The RCN said a number of North-East trusts had told them they would ban RCN members taking leave on November 30, including Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals in North Shields and Hexham.

The trust told the RCN it “would not allow protest on or at the entrance to our sites as this will be alarming for patients and will undermine confidence in the healthcare service. Official picketing will have to follow legislative guidelines.”

The RCN has written to all major NHS trusts in the region informing them that members were being encouraged to join the TUC marches in Newcastle and Middlesbrough in their lunch breaks or in their own time.

The union also asked trusts what their policy would be if RCN members wanted to protest in or near NHS property, although the union stressed that the numbers are expected to be small.

A spokeswoman for the South Tees Hospitals NHS Trust said: “November 30 is a normal day as far as we are concerned. We have not banned people from taking leave.”

But a spokeswoman for the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust said: “Unfortunately, no holidays are now being approved, but leave previously booked is honoured."

being honoured.”